Thursday, September 27, 2012

Margot Finke, Author--Busy as a Mama Grizzley Bear!

It is my great pleasure to showcase children's author, Margot Finke and her exciting new book series on the blog today! Margot is a fellow Guardian Angel Publishing author and a good friend. A U.S. citizen, she was born in Australia, and memories of and experiences from that lovely country colors much of what she writes for kids.

NS I am enchanted by your new book, Margot!Where did you get the idea?

MF It all began when I was a teacher’s
aide.I told stories about Australia and
its unique animals to second graders, and my teacher friend said I should write
them down.I did, and the rest is
history.Mama Grizzly Bear, along with six other rhyming books, form my Wild and Wonderful series.They tell fun facts about animals from the US
and Australia.Originally ebooks, with a
publisher in Australia, all 6 are now with Guardian Angel Publishing ( GAP).
They will still be available as ebooks, but will also be published as soft
cover books.Mama Grizzly is the first to jump into soft cover format, and the
rest will follow over time.http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/mama-grizzly.htmI am thrilled with this wonderful
opportunity from GAP.

NSYou are an American by way of Australia, where you
grew up.Many of your writings reflect
your rich Australian heritage. Please tell us about your time as an Australian
child and how that has well and truly influenced your writing career.

MF The old saying is true, mate: You can take
the woman out of Down-under, but you can’t take Down-under out of the woman. I
have actually written a book about this, titled “Down-under Calling.” It tells about a grandmother in Australia and
her grandson in Oregon.It features
letters back and forth between the two of them, interspersed with the problems
they both must face in their daily lives.The grandson is reluctant to write at first, but he and his friend soon
fall under the spell of grandma’s stories.She tells him of the fascinating Aussie critters that visit her garden, and
tales of her growing up there in the middle of the 20th century.This is a book written from my heart, and I
would love to find a publisher for it. Hint, hint!

NSEveryone wants to know how an author spends a
typical writing day.Do you follow a
schedule, and if so, tell us about how you organize it.

MF I have not done much actual writing lately.
Too busy dealing with the upcoming publication needs of “Mama Grizzly” + “Survival by
Walkabout,” the young teen follow up to my “Taconi and Claude- Double Trouble.” This is another Aussie outback
adventure – full of danger, surviving a nasty medicine man, and the wild dogs
that fancy Josh and Bindi for dinner. Sibling rivalry, a big lie, a nasty threat,
and tales from the Dreamtime round out the plot.

I have a wonderful writing room with
windows that look out onto our back gardens.My husband made me a super desk for everything I have to store or use
for my writing. In winter, we bring in all the tender plants and display them
on wall shelves here.It becomes a
jungle when everything outside has withered and disappeared – lovely.Special lights keep the plants healthy.

I am at my desk seven days a week, always
writing, promoting, or helping clients write tight and terrific pages.Sometimes it is hard to balance the needs of
my manuscript critique clients with that of my need to write, blog, or just
take a break.

On top of all that, I have breaking news
about another three of my books.My
young teen ghost story, “The Revenge of
Thelma Hill,” will be self-published any day now. I have never
self-published before this, and oh boy, is there a lot for a novice like me to
wrap their head around. Sometimes I feel as dumb as dirt.But my good friend Agy Wilson designed a
super cover for it, and has helped me SO MUCH.I could never have done it without her.Thanks Agy!!I even get to
promote all my other new books at the end of it.How’s that for cool.You will hear my shouts all over the US when
it is published.

AND, as if that is not enough, I am in a
partnership with Agy Wilson to self publish my two story books, “Kobi Borrows a
Pouch” and “Oscar Hunts for a Friend.” Agy is also illustrating and animating them both. Hey, I don’t call her
Awesome Agy Wilson for nothing, you
know.All I know about animating is that
it is a hot ticket now for picture books. I am simply breathless at the thought
of it.

All this began happening about the same
time.No wonder I am breathless.I never seem to catch up on editing,
learning, rewriting, and crafting assorted blurbs and synopses for the various
books.But hey, I am thrilled.I am also one very fortunate lady to have my
dreams come true – even if they all decided to come home and roost at the same
time!

NS Please tell us where your fans can find you to
learn more or get in touch.

NSMargo, you are a wonder, and I can hardly keep up with you! Many thanks for giving us all this marvelous information regarding all you are doing. You are an inspiration to so many people, and certainly to me!

MF Thank you so much Nancy, for letting me
chat with you and your readers.

21 comments:

Margot, I am totally out of breath reading your interview. You are one busy lady. Nancy, thank you for posting this great interview! I am so very impressed with Margot and her many talents. She is definitely an inspiration to me. I am wishing you all the best with your books.Nicole WeaverAward-Winning Children's authorhttp://nicole-weaver.com

Now that I've heard you on blog talk radio I can actually hear your voice 'speaking' this interview and your lovely Aussie accent makes it that much more charming. Congrats on all your successful new projects, Margot.

Thanks, Nancy for the great interview. You are right, Margot is very inspiring.

Hi Margot and Nancy, If we could harness your combined energy, talent, and vision, we could revitalize literacy, reshape education, and rescue the free world -- maybe more! The bar has clearly been raised! Thanks for an inspiring interview -- humbling, too. Blessings to you both for continued success in all you do.

Hello you guys, great interview. Margot you are a wonderful creative writer, and a lucky ducky to have Agy. I'm in search of an Agy partner myself. I wish you great success with all of your grand books, and I hope you find a publisher for Down under Calling, very soon. Write on busy lady. Thanks for the interview Nancy. You never disappoint.

I received a lovely surprise when I popped in to take another look at Nancy's interview of me. All these wonderful comments were waiting for me. Thank you ALL. You are right Donna, Nancy's questions are terrific, and they encourage really heartfelt answers.

Most of you comment about my energy and how do I manage all of this. Well, when what you have dreamed of suddenly happens all at once, you simply have to "gird your loins" (such an eloquent turn of phrase), and dive in and deal with it. My husband keeps wanting me to slow down and smell the flowers in our garden. I tell him, that when every book I wrote is published, I will smell those flowers 'till they cry uncle!

You are a wonderful and supportive group of friends and writers. I am blessed to know each one of you.

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